How to Survive Holiday Parties With Your Figure (& Reputation) Intact

Here are some helpful tips for surviving your holiday parties. Knowing how to act is just as important as knowing what and what not to eat.

No kidding! You don’t want to make a fool of yourself in front of your co- workers and you don’t want all of your hard work to go down the drain by indulging in an overabundance of holiday goodies.

How & What to Eat• Have a small meal before the party so that you don’t overeat. • When you get to the party, make your first drink a big glass of water to fill you up. Then make sure to have one more glass before you leave. Sparkling water or club soda is also a good choice. Throw a lime or lemon in just to be festive. • When you are at the buffet table, use the smallest plate available. It will make your plate look laden with food. You will be surprised at how fast you fill up after the glass fo water. • Limit yourself to one or two fatty items, then stick by the vegetable plate -- and whatever you do, skip the dip.• Look for chicken on the buffet, but make sure its not fried or sautéed. Breading is out too.• Watch your intake of red meat. Skip the sauces and choose mustard. • If there’s shrimp, that’s a good choice as well. Just don’t overdo it. • No eggnog ever! This is loaded with fat and will do so much more harm than good..• If you want desert, first take a good look at everything before making a choice. Choose wisely. If you have more than you should have, don’t beat yourself up. Remember, a slip is not a fall.

How to Act• Ask whether spouses or significant others are invited before you show up with your husband in tow. Or just leave the significant other at home, since an office party is even more boring for outsiders than a high school reunion.• Dress fancier than you think you should, whatever that means for you and your office culture. Underdressing is a far bigger offense than overdressing, so err on the side of caution• One boozy drink per hour, maximum, with a three-drink limit. Remember to chase each drink with a glass of water. Better yet, steer clear of alcohol entirely, and you will be safe.• Don’t bore people with iPhone pictures of your kids, nieces, nephews, or pets. If people ask to see photos, fine, but limit yourself to one or two. If you really want to make points, ask people to show you pictures of their kids, nieces, nephews, or pets. Tell them how adorable they are.• Appropriate small talk questions: "What are your holiday plans?" "How are your significant other/kids/parents?" "Have you seen any good movies lately?" If you know you share a mutual hobby or interest, like a favorite sports team or TV show, talk about that.• Don’t talk about work. Or politics! Or religion!!• Appropriate touching: handshakes; air kisses; shoulder squeezes.• Inappropriate touching: everything else.• Introduce yourself to the boss’ spouse and ask her about her holiday plans.• Thank the host.• Show up early to work the next morning.• Don’t post pictures on Facebook.

Ken Hunt is the owner of New York and Miami’s Steel Gym, an AFI-certified trainer and a fitness expert with expert advice featured in the New York Times, Compete, Horizon Barcelona, La Cosmopolatina, Men’s Fitness, DailyBurn, SiriusXM and LA Talk Radio, Edge, Ethan Says, IDEA Fitness Journal, Latin Trends and many other health blogs and sites. He travels the US and Europe lecturing on physical fitness and is currently finishing his new book, The Hunt for Fitness. Under Ken’s management, Steel Gym has been named three years in a row the Number 1 gym in New York by the American Fitness Institute; three years in a row awarded the New York Award for Physical Fitness Facilities; has been named one of the Top 5 gyms in the U.S. by Muscle & Fitness Magazine; and has been given the Talk of the Town Award four years in a row for Outstanding Customer Service. Steel Gym is located at 146 W. 23rd St. in Manhattan. Call (212) 352-9876, In Florida, Steel Gym is located at5556 NE 4th CT. Miami. Call (305) 751-7591. You can e-mail Ken at SteelGymInfo@aol.com or log onto www.SteelGym.com for more information. You can also follow Steel Gym on Facebook.com/SteelGymNYC and Twitter.com/SteelGym

Comments

Anonymous, 2012-12-23 14:15:30

Well this is extremely depressing so basically we should all be those stupid skinny sick cheerleaders I grew up with in high school with a side of nun how fun..

Anonymous, 2012-12-24 03:39:19

at 47 I am still trying to figure out how to skip it alltogether.

jose luis , 2012-12-24 22:31:43

So basically starve and look plastic pretty. Not everyone is worried about being skinny as those emo boys walking around. The title should be changed to how be a stuck up prune at party while starving.